The RECARO Toria Elite R129 Prime is the perfect solution for parents looking for the best car seat that, once installed, is going to be the child's companion for the next 10 years. Engineered to protect children, the new Toria Elite child seat combines the highest safety standards, increased travel comfort and outstanding design. The versatile child seat that grows together with young travellers, can be individually height-adjusted and perfectly adapts to different body sizes.
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Overview of the RECARO Toria Elite
Pros
• Suitable from approximately 15 months to 12 years old (76-150cm)
• R129-compliant (i-Size ready)
Cons
• No swivel
Awards
The Toria Elite won Silver in the Mother&Baby awards 2023 for Best Multi Stage Car Seat.
Toria Elite key features
• Grows with the child and easy to convert - The headrest grows with the child from 15 months to 12 years. The conversion from the integrated 5-point harness system to the three-point car belt is particularly easy.
• Sound System - The loudspeakers are built into the head area of the child seat and the audio connection and device pouch mean your children can be entertained. The kids can lean back and relax while their head remains protected by the headrest (in the PRIME version only).
• Advance Side Protection - The detachable protectors can be fixed quickly and simply to the child seat. In the event of a side collision, the energy absorbers reduce the force that would act upon the child and provide maximum protection. The protectors should always be installed on the door side.
• Air Ventilation System - The air ventilation system makes sitting over long periods particularly comfortable, and this is ensured by openings in the outer shell and mesh inserts in the seat cover, which allow continuous airflow.
• Intuitive Installation - ISOFIX and Top-Tether ensure easy handling and of course meet the strict requirements of the current R129 safety standard. The three anchor points hold the seat in position and in the event of an accident, this absorbs the forces acting on the child. Once installed, the child seat can remain in the car and doesn’t even need to be removed when rebuilding the Toria Elite for older children (100 -150 cm).
• One-Handed Recline Adjustment - The Toria Elite child seat has five reclining positions, whether the child is strapped in with the integrated harness system or with the vehicle's seat belt. The flatter resting position provides the greatest comfort. Best of all: You can adjust the recline with just a single hand, while the child can remain seated.
Testing the Toria Elite
I think this baby and toddler car seat was great for my nearly four year old - we found it easy to install into our car and also to alter the height and the recline could be done with one hand. When choosing a car seat safety is really important and the fact that this car seat had side impact protection, was installed using isofix and a top tether made me feel that the seat was safe and secure. i-Size is a big selling point for me. My daughter also seemed very comfortable in this seat and I liked that it came with an inlay for smaller children.
There's also a feature that prevents the harness from twisting - this is a big plus for me as before using the Toria Elite I regularly struggled with twisted straps in my daughter's car seat. It was easy for me to install and then to adjust the seat and harness for my daughters height/weight. She could get into the seat very easily with the low sides.
It was easy to recline with one hand and the three positions were good for sleeping on journeys. I thought the speakers in the headrest were a lovely idea, although have not used them as of yet. The fact that this is also suitable for 15 months to 12 years offers real value for money.
This car seat is similar in design to my current multi stage one but the features and usability of the Toria Elite is much better, I'd definitely recommend it to other parents. It makes a great car seat for a four year old.
Final thoughts
Overall I was really impressed with this product. There are a couple of things I would change - firstly if the car seat swivelled then that would be really handy, it was fine for me as my daughter can climb in and out independently, but I think for a wriggly 15 month old it would be tricky!
Full product spec
Standard: UN R129/03
External dimensions (W/D/H): 43 / 49 / 62 cm
Weight: 12.5 kg